The Beerspotter: Ommegang Rouge

Ommegang Rouge

Where Spotted: Max’s Taphouse, 737 S. Broadway, Baltimore

Price: $5.66/330ml draft

Chairs! It comes in a goblet and looks like Kool-Aid, but don’t be scared; this Flanders-style red ale from Cooperstown, N.Y., flaunts a complex blend of sweet black cherry, musty oak, and the distinctive sourness of wild yeast. But maybe I’m in a minority: “fruity armchair leather” doesn’t sound that great. Let’s leave it at “tart and fruity.”

Rood Trip: Ommegang Rouge is a small collaboration with Belgium’s Brouwerij Bockor, and, sadly, the area’s supply has dried up (I had to drive to Baltimore, where there were a few kegs left at deadline time). Look for alternatives such as Rodenbach Grand Cru (with similar fruitness), Vichtenaar (deep and balsamic), or Echte Kriek (blue cheese smothered in cherry). If you’re not a stinky-cheese person, start with Duchesse De Bourgogne, a good but sweet Flemish red.

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